Fire crews battle frigid temperatures to douse Ada Boulevard house fire

EDMONTON – Edmonton fire crews battled frigid temperatures early Saturday morning to put out a house fire on Ada Boulevard.

Firefighters were called to the home on 62 Street and Ada Boulevard around 4:00 a.m.

“Just heard a lot of fire trucks around 4:00 a.m. going up and down the street, woke our whole house up,” said Sandy Taylor who lives in the neighbourhood.

When crews arrived, smoke was billowing out of the home. Captain Darryl Chipchura with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services says firefighters had to force their way into the home.

“By the time the guys got into the home, the flames were already starting to come out of the eaves. And within a few minutes it had already breached the roof of the home,” Chipchura explained.

A second alarm was called. In total, about 15 vehicles were called to the fire, including an Edmonton Transit bus, to keep firefighters warm in the bone-chilling temperatures.

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“We’re dealing with 30 below weather here, and we had to rotate crews in and out quite often to keep everybody functional,” said Chipchura.

With wind chill values hitting the -40°C mark, fire hydrants can also freeze, causing further trouble for firefighters.

“We always have problems with radios freezing up and couples and whatnot, but it wasn’t a big issue here. The cold was an issue just after a little while when everybody was getting wet, cold,” Chipchura added.

The fire was contained to the one home. There is no word yet on the cost of the damage to the home.

No injuries were reported.

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